“The Conversation” : GI Clinic – 11.06.13

Oh yes.
I’m pretty sure at some time or another we’ve needed to be brash and have “THE conversation” with our consultant. For the past few weeks, I’ve been building up my strength and words for this conversation to happen TODAY with my regular GI, because in as many words, I am unhappy with my care.

This was my strongest worded opinion thus far:

I went into today’s appointment knowing full well that I was going to get THE LOOK – the one that is given to patients who fail to take their medications, full stop, and wonder why they are getting sicker – and honestly, I never pegged myself to be that sort of patient; but as I finished my steroid course last month, I also stopped my Melsalazine. I’ve not been at 100% with my Crohn’s, or with my life actually, for quite a while; and my regular GI has put this down to my coming off of Humira, point-blank. This doctor today – a new one, completely unknown to me, the frequent flyer of GHH’s GI Clinic – told me that my failure to take my medication has had an impact on my health and my life. It has, unbeknown to me, made it more difficult for me to loss any weight – medication related or otherwise – and it has built upon my already compromised liver. So, I need to go back on Melasalzine and take another medication to combat the additional acid reflux and heartburn I suffer with whilst taking it.

I have a 6 weeks wait before I can expect to see an improvement in my disease and given the fact I’m back again in September for another appointment I will have to go with this until then. Try my best to keep myself on it.

As it was said today, I will always be on medication for the Crohn’s. Always. What we need to do now is look at other ways in which I can improve my health so that my Crohn’s can be best-managed without stronger or more medications. I assume also here is the theory of having better health and a more manageable body will help aid any recovery I need from any interventions in the future. Loosing weight is a MUST and it not just for my image or my mental state, it is for my HEART, LUNGS and LIVER. Avoiding problems for the future; the motivation I desperate need now.

I went with the aim to get myself sorted with what was actually happening. This doctor – though it pisses me off my regular GI, despite being there was unable to see me, hmm – went through all my questions in detail. Explained the causes for my raised LFTs and didn’t scare me. Gave me reason to improve my overall health for the benefit of my Crohn’s Disease. If anything, it was a small blessing in disguise that my doctor didn’t see me and this one did. I didn’t cave and I fought to say what was on my mind. I feel in more control of what I can do to overcome my hurdles.

So, back to the mornings of taking the Melsalazine granules and all the other goodness my body is going to need too. Let’s hope it works.